Midday Sun
by James' Lily Flower
Summary: The Cullens escaped the Volturi a few years earlier and life should really be settling down into the beautiful eternity that Bella wanted, but life can never be boring for the Cullens. Takes place after Breaking Dawn.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Edward unfortunately... if I did there would be NO time for writing! If I did, I would be otherwise engaged literally! Haha! Oh yeah, and everyone else, I don't own them too! **

**Midday Sun**

**Chapter 1 **

The air was still; undisturbed except for the lazy flutter of a lone butterfly, searching for a bloom to feed on. There was no breeze and no sound but the minuscule flutter of thumbprint wings. Pretty wouldn't be a sufficient description, a tiny, faded mahogany body framed by symmetrical, milky limewater wings. Royal blue streaks blazed over pastel features.

I reached out my fingers, wanting to hold this tiny creature for a mere second. My digits brushed the velvet wings, colour tinting my hands. The object of my attention resisted my careful touch, rising into the air to escape.

I sighed and moved away, returning my thoughts to the hunt.

A horde of flies in a nearby glade. A fish playing in the shallows of the river near my grandparents' house. A bird moving into the sky. A herd of deer grazing in the middle of the forest. My prey.

I turned to my father and regarded his cool features, checking that he had heard the same as I had. His position hadn't changed but I could see the anticipation in his eyes and knew his muscles were poised, ready for the hunt. His teeth were bared slightly as he waited for me to make the first move. My dad was thirsty.

I decided not to make him wait any longer, beginning to run quietly between the trees. Dad ran carefully beside me, the need to see I was safe out-ruling his vampire instincts.

It was the morning of my ninth birthday, but I already looked about twelve, although the older I got the more my growth slowed. Grandpa said I would be fifteen or sixteen when I reached my full growth and then I would spend all eternity at that age.

I was looking forward to the rest of the day. After breakfast with my dad, I would return to my grandparents' house, where my Mom, aunts, uncles and grandparents would give me presents.

It didn't take us long to drink and after many years of practice, I didn't spill a drop on the pretty pink dress Mom had picked out for me to wear this morning.

I wasn't tired but I still knew my dad would hear my thoughts and carry me back to the Cullen house. I rested my arms around his neck and placed my head under his chin as he ran.

It didn't take long to reach the house. I watched our reflections in the glass wall of the house as we passed, my dad's skin glittering in the sunlight. I loved the diamond effect the sun had on my family's skin. It was the most beautiful and perfect thing I had ever seen, including my aunts and Mom.

Dad put me down as soon as the thought for him to do so crossed my mind and I ran into the hallway calling my family's names. Stretched across one of the white leather couches was my best friend, Jacob Black. I hadn't seen him in over a week because he'd been busy with his pack. Jacob was a werewolf though it didn't bother me. It did, however, bother my parents and I often felt there was something about Jacob that they weren't telling me.

"Jakey!" I called out, running up to him and popping myself onto the small gap in front of him. He put his arms around me in a semi-hug and I turned in his warm grip to return the favour.

"Happy birthday, Nessie," he said.

Even though he'd said it lower than a normal speaking pitch, there was still a correcting "Reneesme" issued from the kitchen by my Mom.

Jacob and I shared a chuckle.

"I have your present," he said, "your Mom said you could open all your presents once she's finished in the kitchen."

At that moment my four vampire aunts and uncles entered the room. Aunt Alice danced over to me and pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek. Uncle Emmett ruffled my hair; Jasper gave me a gentle smile while Aunt Rosalie checked that I was dressed appropriately for the occasion.

My Dad came in, talking to Carlisle, my grandfather. He smiled and greeted the rest of my family and rather gruffly, Jacob, before asking where my Grandma and Mom were.

As they heard their names the two women came into the living room. My grandmother rushed gracefully over to me and caught me in a hug, while my Mom made her way over to my Dad and hugged him.

After I'd embraced my grandma, I danced towards my Mom. She easily picked me up and kissed me on the cheek. Her breath and touch was cold but comforting. My family wouldn't be my family if they weren't freezing to touch. I loved the difference between the cold touch of my family and the warm touch of my closest friend.

My Mom was very gentle with me, careful. I knew she still worried about controlling herself around my half-human figure. She was the youngest of all the vampires in my family and newborn vampires were known for having very bad control. Mom was the opposite, my uncle Jasper, who'd seen many newborn vampires, said she had amazing control. Apparently she'd been able to resist human blood just hours after her change was completed.

Dad reached over and played with one of my bronze curls.

"I see you stayed clean, did you get plenty to eat?" Mom asked. I could tell the question was directed both at myself and my father. My dad because he had been caring for me and me because she wanted to know if I was okay.

I nodded, placing my hand against the side of her face, showing her the size of the animal I'd had to drink.

My dad frowned and reminded me not to push my Mom's thirst. Her eyes were quite dark, suggesting that it was about time she went hunting. My dad nodded to show he agreed with my thoughts.

"Happy birthday, honey," Mom said, oblivious to my communication with my dad.

"Time for presents!" Aunt Alice cut in.

Everyone else agreed with her and Mom placed me down to allow them to spoil me. I wasn't sure if she approved, but it was my birthday and she wouldn't ruin it for me.

I was encouraged to sit in the centre of the room, while presents were passed out to me. There was no shortage of them. Clothes from my aunts, books from my grandparents, a new computer and some CDs from my parents. Jacob's present was the sweetest, a necklace chain with a small carved wooden wolf pendant. As I opened the present he shared a knowing grin with my Mom and my Dad frowned. I ignored them; it was a nice present.

"It's lovely, Jake," I told him. "Where did you get it?"

"I made it," he replied, uncharacteristically bashful. "My dad taught me when I was young."

My Mom's eyes turned to look out the window and my dad tightened an arm around her. I wondered briefly whether either of my parents had heard this story before but I was already being handed another gift from Aunt Alice.

Charlie came over that afternoon and we had cake. Alice had really outdone herself on the cake. It was covered with lots of pink frosting over the top of the three spongy layers. The icing was glittery and the words 'Happy Birthday, Reneesme' were piped in silver icing across the top.

Charlie was really excited. He made a lot of comments about how quickly I'd grown and how I was nearly as beautiful as my Mom. That made me smile because my Mom really was very beautiful. Charlie brought me a small silver bracelet with a few roses. He said it was very grown up, suitable for me, now that I was a young lady.

After that, Jakey and I went for a walk and we played in the river near the house. I loved living so close to nature. The forest, the river. I loved any water, loved going to the beach by Jacob's house, loved going swimming in the nearby river.

Jacob started to splash me with his huge paws. I tried to flick water back at him but my hands were so small and slender compared to his. I got very wet, while Jacob seemed completely dry. I didn't think my Mom or my Aunts would be particularly impressed that I'd ruined my new dress. But they'd be hoping I'd had fun. Alice would always be happy to take me shopping for new clothes.

I asked Jacob if we'd be friends forever and he agreed. He looked very serious when he told me that, as if he'd thought about it a lot. I wasn't used to seeing Jacob respond to anything so seriously, it was so unlike his character. I loved his doggy smile and the way he could always make me laugh. But the way he said it made me believe we could be friends forever.

When we returned to the house, Mom was waiting for me anxiously. Both she and my dad tended to overreact to anything that happened to me. I think it was because of all the scary events that had happened before and after my birth, such as my mum's erratic pregnancy and the incidences with the Volturi.

My mum insisted I had a warm bath, worrying that I would catch pneumonia if I stayed in my wet clothes any longer. I could hear her lecturing Jacob about how he should be more careful with me. It made me laugh, Mom should know better than to worry about me while I was with Jacob. He cared about me too much to let anything happen to me.

I changed into my pyjamas quickly and watched a movie with Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie. It was my favourite- Phantom of the Opera. I'd first started watching it with my dad because he liked the music; however he'd since decided he wasn't a huge fan of the storyline.

Aunt Alice made popcorn, insisting that since we were watching a movie we had to have popcorn. I was the only one that ate any because of their diet.

Finally my mum came in to tell me it was time to go to bed. I didn't really want to sleep but I knew that she was right. I had classes in the morning and she wouldn't let me go to school tired. I asked my dad to play on the piano for me. I loved listening to his compositions. My favourite was the lullaby he'd written for my Mom and I also loved the song he'd written about my Mom and I when I was a baby.

I fell asleep next to him on the piano bench, extremely content leaning against his stone figure, enjoying the sound of beautiful harmonies.

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**Hope you like that start, I'm looking forward to writing this.. please give me some reviews and suggestions, any ideas... and check out my other fics.. **

**Love JLF xoxo **


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